Sacramento, Calif. – Breeders of domestic pets are howling mad over a bill that would require all dogs and cats in California to be spayed or neutered unless they are registered purebreds and have special, government-issued permits.

The main goal of the bill is to combat the overpopulation of stray pets – a problem that forces cities such as Los Angeles to spend millions of dollars to expand and build new animal shelters, said the bill’s author, Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys. Shelters euthanize nearly half a million dogs and cats every year, he said.

“We simply have a huge problem in the state with pet overpopulation,” Levine said. “I can’t tell you how many people have complained to me about cats defecating in their yards, flowerbeds … and in sandboxes where kids play. It’s a huge public-safety and public-health issue.”

The bill, which was introduced Friday and hasn’t yet had its first committee hearing, already has picked up a prominent backer in Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Dog and cat enthusiasts argue that the bill would force breeders to go underground and in the end wouldn’t make a dent in the growing population of strays.

“It may be well-intentioned, but it’s poorly aimed,” said Diane Jacobsen, 65, of Sebastopol, who has been breeding Rhodesian ridgebacks for 45 years.

If the bill becomes law, Jacobsen’s dogs would qualify for an intact permit, which would exempt animals from spaying if they are purebred and registered with the American Kennel Club, the United Kennel Club, the American Dog Breeders Association or the International Cat Association.

The only other exceptions would be animals used for professional purposes, including guide dogs and the police canine unit.

Pet owners who don’t get permits and don’t spay or neuter their dogs or cats by the time they are 4 months old would face costly fines under the proposed law.

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